Good morning everyone, Today I’d like to address the unfortunate outlook that many (rightfully) have towards the future of Booksellers. The outlook at Booksellers may look bleak as of now, but this situation is all about perspective. The situation we are in now could have been a lot worse if circumstances had been otherwise. “There’s nothing positive about the liquidation sale currently at Booksellers.”: Actually, there is. Booksellers could have just as easily been closed without much notice and no liquidation sale. The liquidation sale has bought us valuable time to raise support for Booksellers and attempt to find a local investor willing to invest their financial capital as well as their time into saving the store. “Even if we do save Booksellers, what’s to stop this from happening again?” Two words: local investor. It’s one thing to invest financial capital into a store and it’s another to invest your time and effort into a place you love. Keeping businesses local is the best thing we can do to help Memphis thrive as a city. Local roots are grounded in Memphis’ culture and keeping with that tradition has proven successful for countless local businesses in Memphis. “Well, the current situation is completely bad.” Not exactly. Yes, we’re all sad to hear the (hopefully unsuccessful) closing of Booksellers, but this situation has helped bring to light the larger issue of literacy in Memphis. Recently, it was found that less than 75% of adults in Memphis read at a sufficient literacy rate. I firmly believe that nothing lower than a 100% sufficient literacy rate in Memphis is acceptable and local bookstores are key factors in helping shrink this problem. Reading is the basis of knowledge and education and without reading how can we expect Memphis to thrive as a city? “There’s absolutely nothing I/we can do to stop the store from closing.” Actually, there is. You can have hope and share your support for Booksellers. Losing hope is the worst thing that can happen to a movement like ours. 2,800 people united as a group is not a small thing. Your voice is being heard by the right people and the right people are listening and reacting in a similar fashion. Stay positive and never…ever give up hope on our beloved local bookstore. I have been working on three different projects regarding Booksellers over the past two weeks that I’ll be excited to announce as soon as we hit 3,000 signatures. I know there are thousands of people now who want to do something to help Booksellers and I’d like to give every single supporter a chance to aid Booksellers in an interesting way while looking at the larger picture of literacy in Memphis. So, stay tuned to find out how you can do just that…and shout out to Burke’s Books for again sharing the petition link! Upcoming at Booksellers Tuesday, January 24th, 2017: Kevin Wilson’s “Perfect Little World” 6pm-8pm (Note: This is an offsite event at Bounty On Broad (2519 Broad Avenue, Memphis, TN 38112) on the second floor. Discussion will start at 6:30, but doors open at 6:00 p.m.!) Wednesday, January 25th, 2017: Susan Rivers and “The Second Mrs. Hockaday” 6:30pm-8:30pm *Please note the Bronte Bistro is now closed at Booksellers Always remember #MemphisGetsLit, Emmett Miskell